102 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



much darker than the Papuan. At the east end of 

 the group they are more like the Papuan in colour 

 and in character. 



My first camp in the Solomons was at a village 

 of Guadalcanar Island, where for the first time I 

 tried the experiment of camping in the midst of the 

 native houses. The old chief of the village obliged 

 me by putting taboo marks on the doors of the huts 

 of my party, thus protecting us from interference on 

 the part of the resident natives. At Guadalcanar 

 I stayed some six or seven weeks, making a fair 

 collection. There I encountered for the first time 

 a very handsome snake, called the king snake. It 

 has a black head, and the neck is surrounded by a 

 white band. Then follows a gold band. These bands 

 of black, white, and gold, alternate on the body of 

 the reptile. The king snake is very rare, and accord- 

 ing to the stories of the natives is only seen when 

 a chief has died. I got several specimens, which I 

 sent to Europe. 



In the Solomons the village residential houses are 

 not so good as those of the Papuans, but their canoe 

 houses are very much better. They have not much 

 idea of sailing canoes, and very little idea of sea- 

 craft, but their very large war and trading canoes, 

 which they drive by paddles, hold some forty of 

 fifty men. 



The Solomon Islanders, who are very warlike, 

 have a bad reputation as cannibals and head-hunters. 



